Monday, March 26, 2018

As of Saturday evening, 24 March 2018, there have been eight annual Shamrock Jog And Jam 5K races in Americus, Georgia. Wright Calhoun had won half of them. A sophomore on the Columbus State University Cougars cross-country team, Calhoun won his fourth Shamrock 5K at the eighth annual running of the race, finishing almost 700 meters ahead of the next runner. His time, 17:08, was just a few seconds off the Shamrock 5K record of 17:05, set in 2014 by Calhoun himself. Americus master runner DeAnn Reid was the first woman in the race, placing fifteenth overall in 24:28.

Bryan Danley took the runner-up spot, running 19:53. A few meters behind Danley, Dustin Howard edged Austin Anthony for third, 20:03 to 20:04. Howard is an eighth-grader at Schley Middle School in Ellaville, Georgia, where he is the ace of the school's cross-country team. Austin Anthony is a senior cross-country runner at Schley County High. Hawkinsville, Georgia's Mitchell Sinyard, runner-up in the 2017 Shamrock Jog And Jam, was the first master runner in the race, placing sixth overall in 22:12.

Caitlin Mixon of Vienna, Georgia took second in the women's standings and sixteenth overall in 24:36. Clarissa Cadogan of Americus was the third woman and 26th overall in 27:42.

67 athletes finished the 2018 Shamrock Jog And Jam 5K. The race benefits the Scott Law Foundation, which provides direct financial assistance to Sumter and surrounding county residents suffering from cancer or other medical ailments.